Dukes of Hazzard (2005)

"...the perfect balance of old-fashioned charm and postmodern touches...  Desson Thomson, Washington Post
"...the same fratty energy as "Wedding Crashers."  Kyle Smith, New York Post
"...a comedy that knows just how smart to be about just how dumb it is.  Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Editor's Note It was inevitable that THE DUKES OF HAZZARD would leap onto the big screen, and now, thanks to Broken Lizard's Jay Chandrasekhar (SUPER TROOPERS, CLUB DREAD), it finally has. Slipping into the boots made famous by John Schneider and Tom Wopat, Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville play moonshine-selling cousins, Bo and Luke Duke. Along with their ridiculously gorgeous cousin Daisy (Jessica Simpson) and joke-telling Uncle Jessie (Willie Nelson), the Duke boys love to get the goat of Hazzard County's most crooked law enforcement officials, including Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane (M.C. Gainey) and county commissioner Boss Hogg (Burt Reynolds). But when they discover that Boss Hogg is using his leverage to run them off their farm in order to turn Hazzard County into a strip mine for coal, things get personal. With the help of their faithful friends, Bo and Luke set off on their riskiest adventure yet. Showing his reverence for the classic 1980s show, Chandrasekhar incorporates freeze-frames, humorous narration, and extended action sequences, resulting in a crowd-pleasing romp that promises to introduce a whole new generation of fans to the Duke boys. While Scott, Knoxville, and the scantily clad Simpson deliver the goods, it is The General Lee--the pair's electrifying orange Charger--that steals the show.

	Burt Reynolds
	David Koechner
	Jessica Simpson
	Johnny Knoxville
	Lynda Carter
	M.C. Gainey
	Seann William Scott
	Willie Nelson
	Bill Gerber - Producer
	Bruce Berman - Executive Producer
	Gy Waldron - Based On Characters Created By
	Jay Chandrasekhar - Director
	John O'Brien - Screenplay
	Lawrence Sher - Cinematographer
	Lee Haxall, et. al. - Editor
	Nathan Barr - Original Music By

Entertainment Weekly
"As a movie, THE DUKES OF HAZZARD is more fun than it has any right to be....The cars chases are blissful celebrations of movement and flight..." 08/12/2005 p.54-55

Variety 8 of 10
There's a legitimate philosophical argument about whether the world really needs a "The Dukes of Hazzard" movie, but assuming that someone was determined to remake this mediocre but iconic TV show, this is probably as good as it's going to get. Loud, silly but kind of lame-brained fun with car chases aplenty, "Dukes" faithfully plays like an extended episode of the series, albeit with an additional gallon or so of fuel-injected raunchiness...Beyond stoking appreciation for the stunt driving, those closing outtakes provide a reminder that screwball comedy is hard work. In that respect, credit "Dukes of Hazzard" with managing to make a juvenile romp with free-spirited rednecks go down as smoothly as a slug o' moonshine on a hot August night. - Brian Lowry

Salon.com 7 of 10
"The Dukes of Hazzard" must have been a blast to make: all that crazy stunt driving, Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville cutting up right and left like rowdy schoolboys, Jessica Simpson traipsing around on the set in shorts that look like something she scrounged up from a Barbie case. If only it were that much fun to watch. Like most movies based on old television shows, "Dukes" is all concept, with a few jokes written into its crevices. In patches, it's entertaining in a wholly disreputable way, and you can't say it doesn't have a sense of humor about itself. - Stephanie Zacharek